Infrared-Curable Chromogenic Composition for Lithographic Plate Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithographic printing plate precursors without conventional development processing face challenges in plate inspection due to lack of visible image formation, requiring improved color-forming compositions that maintain high density and visibility over time for effective on-press development and printing durability.
Innovation Solution
A composition combining an infrared absorbing skeleton and a thermochromic skeleton connected by a single bond or connecting group, where the infrared absorption leads to efficient heat transfer for high-density color formation, enhancing plate inspection properties and preservation stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional development processing is eliminated for on-press development, then plate making simplification and environmental improvement are achieved, but plate inspection difficulty increases due to lack of visible image formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color change principles by incorporating thermochromic compounds that undergo visible color transformation upon infrared laser exposure. This allows the exposed image areas to display distinct colors (such as blue, red, or green) that are visible under ordinary light, enabling effective plate inspection without conventional development processing. The color-forming composition contains compounds that change from colorless or pale to intensely colored states, providing visual feedback for inspection while maintaining the simplified on-press development workflow.
2Productivity
If infrared laser exposure is used for direct imaging, then CTP technology and on-press development are enabled, but color formation density and visibility over time deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material principles by formulating a color-forming composition that integrates multiple functional components: infrared absorbing compounds, thermochromic compounds, and binder resins. This composite formulation ensures high color formation density and excellent stability over time. The synergistic combination of these materials provides both the responsiveness to infrared laser exposure required for CTP efficiency and the durable, high-visibility color formation needed for reliable plate inspection and storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter change principles by optimizing the molecular structures and physical properties of the thermochromic compounds to achieve stable color formation. The composition is designed to undergo controlled thermal and optical parameter changes that result in persistent color states with high density and resistance to fading. This ensures that the color-formed images maintain their visibility and contrast over extended periods, addressing the reliability concern while preserving CTP productivity benefits.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If thermochromic compounds are used for color formation, then plate inspection property improves, but heat transfer efficiency from infrared absorption may be insufficient for high-density color formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the intermediary principle by introducing heat transfer mediators or thermal coupling agents in the color-forming composition. These intermediaries facilitate efficient thermal energy transfer from the infrared-absorbing compounds to the thermochromic compounds, ensuring that the heat generated by infrared absorption is effectively transmitted to induce the color-changing reaction. This resolves the contradiction by enhancing both the heat transfer efficiency needed for high-density color formation and the plate inspection properties provided by the thermochromic compounds.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition achieves high-density color formation and excellent plate inspection properties, maintaining visibility and printing durability, even without conventional development processing, through efficient heat transfer from infrared absorption.
Implementation Method 1
a compound having an infrared absorbing skeleton C1 and a thermochromic skeleton A in its molecule
Implementation Method 2
the infrared absorption leads to efficient heat transfer for high-density color formation
Implementation Method 3
a compound having an infrared absorbing skeleton C1 and a thermochromic skeleton A in its molecule wherein the infrared absorbing skeleton and the thermochromic skeleton are connected
Data Source
AI summary
A light-sensitive color-forming composition and a curable color-forming composition each of which forms color at a high density by exposure with an infrared laser and has a small fading due to aging is provided by an infrared sensitive color-forming composition containing (A) a compound having an infrared absorbing skeleton and a thermochromic skeleton in its molecule wherein the infrared absorbing skeleton and the thermochromic skeleton are connected with a covalent bond or an ionic bond, and (B) a binder, and an infrared curable color-forming composition in which the infrared sensitive color-forming composition described above further contains (C) a radical initiator and (D) a polymerizable compound. A lithographic printing plate precursor which has the curable color-forming composition described above in the image-recording layer, is extremely excellent in the plate inspection property, has good preservation stability and maintains a high color-forming property, is excellent in the on-press development property, and provides a lithographic printing plate having a good printing durability and a plate making method of producing a lithographic printing plate precursor using the lithographic printing plate precursor described above are provided by a lithographic printing plate precursor having an image-recording layer comprising the infrared curable color-forming composition described above and a plate making method of producing a lithographic printing plate precursor by image exposing the lithographic printing plate precursor described above with infrared ray and then performing on-press development.